Infused Oils.

Method

4 steps · check as you go

1. 01

   Warm the oil — never hot

   Divide the olive oil between four small saucepans (250 mL each). Warm each over the lowest possible flame to roughly 80°C (175°F) — the oil should shimmer but never sizzle. Drop a piece of parsley stem in; it should bubble lazily, not fizz.

   Why this matters

   Hot oil scorches aromatics and turns them bitter. Warm oil — under 90°C — extracts flavor without cooking. A thermometer is the easy way; the parsley-stem test is the kitchen way.

2. 02

   Steep each jar

   ⏱ 45 min

   Add the aromatics to their respective pans. For garlic confit: hold at 80°C for 45 minutes, until the cloves are soft and pale gold. For chili-citrus: 10 minutes only; the oil should turn red. For basil-parsley: blanch the herbs for 5 seconds in boiling water, shock in ice, squeeze bone-dry, then blend with the warm oil and strain. For herbs de Provence: 20 minutes off the heat, lid on.

   Start timer
3. 03

   Cool completely before bottling

   Let each oil cool to room temperature in its pan. Strain — or don't, depending on the oil — into clean glass jars. Garlic confit keeps the cloves (use them too). Chili-citrus keeps the peel and chiles for visual signal. Basil-parsley is strained clean. Herbs de Provence keeps the woody sprigs.

   Why this matters

   Sealing warm oil traps steam, which is the only way garlic oil grows botulism. Cool, then jar, then refrigerate within an hour.

4. 04

   Refrigerate and date the lids

   All four jars live in the fridge. Three weeks, maximum, on the garlic confit (a real food-safety limit). The others keep four weeks but lose perfume after three. Use a sharpie on the lid.